Magic Marker
by AshInScribbleLand
Summary: Just a small piece in honor of Self Injury Awareness Day. SI mentioned is only mental, so it shouldn't be triggering.


I wanted to work in the idea behind 'To Write Love on Her Arms' in honor of yesterday (3/1 Self Injury Awareness Day). This is what I came up with.

XXXXXX

Claudia had seen the look in her eyes, as she talked about the men that murdered her daughter. The pain had been fresh. It didn't matter if it was a few years ago to H.G.'s body or a hundred years ago to her mind. She was in pain and she was angry.

The anger is what startled her. Since she'd waltzed into their lives, H.G. had always seemed perfectly in check. She never lost her temper; she never raised her voice; she didn't even begrudge Artie his obvious disdain for her. The anger she had seen that afternoon, however, was real and it was overwhelming.

Opening the door to the B and B, she headed towards her room. Still wondering what she could do. Dealing with H.G. had always seemed to be Myka's job, but Myka didn't see it. Somehow, the idea of telling Myka about it felt like an act of betrayal. H.G. had told her and while she didn't think the older woman would mind, H.G. wasn't a problem to hand off. She was a person and she was hurting.

Hearing noises from the library, she paused mid step and turned around. H.G. was standing in front of the window looking out at the rain. She couldn't see her face, but the shake of her shoulders and quiet sniffling told Claudia she was crying. She opened her mouth to speak, but didn't know what she would say.

She couldn't even begin to understand what the other woman felt. How would she know what to say? Helena had tried to fix things, when that didn't work she sought revenge, that didn't seem to bring her relief either. She blamed herself for sending her away, for not saving her, for not being able to bring her back.

Claudia realized that for H.G. failure was something she did not accept easily. She had crossed the lines of impossible repeatedly. If she didn't find a solution, she kept trying. The H.G. she had seen that afternoon, however, was resolved. She had given in to her own failure and felt it was her own fault. She thinks she fucked up, Claudia realized.

The phrase hit Claudia with all the implications of a miracle. Running up the stairs, she headed towards her room and grabbed a bright blue sharpie. Grinning at her own inner genius, she took a deep breath and returned downstairs. "H.G.?" she called out, not wanting to startle the other woman.

H.G. stiffened, then registering Claudia's voice and relaxed. She wiped at her eyes before turning around, smiling as if everything was fine. "Yes Claudia? What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, I've got something for you," Claudia said, sharpie held behind her back. "Close your eyes," she commanded, not giving H.G. a chance at arguing.

H.G. looked at her suspiciously, but nodded and closed her eyes. Claudia was a troublemaker, but she was hardly a threat. Besides, even with her eyes closed she would have little trouble overtaking the younger woman.

Claudia grabbed H.G.'s left hand in her own and shoved her sleeve up towards her elbow. Uncapping the marker, she left the lid in her mouth while she wrote one word upon her inner arm in large blue lettering.

Nodding at her work, she capped the marker and fixed H.G.'s shirt, as it was before. "There ya go," she said and took off once more towards her own room. She couldn't help but smiling, knowing the other woman would be smart enough to figure out her message.

H.G. watched her confused, but laughed gently at the girl's antics. Curiously, she unbuttoned her sleeve and slid the fabric up once more. Her breath caught slightly and a feeling of peace washed over her. She traced the letters with her finger. She had been filled with pain for so long. Maybe Claudia was right.

She didn't understand the significance of it, but she understood its intentions. A smile graced her lips and she sent a silent thank you up to the younger woman. It was time to try something new. Love might be the answer she'd been looking for.


End file.
